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I was talking to my friend today trying to explain the PB. I&#39;m still kind of new to this but I can understand why refined grains and sugars are bad. When he asked about what&#39;s wrong with wholegrains I didn&#39;t know what to say other than they&#39;re high carb, which can lead to weight gain. How should I have explained what&#39;s wrong with wholegrains?

And dairy didn&#39;t come up in the conversation but afterwards I realised that I didn&#39;t know what&#39;s wrong with dairy either. I don&#39;t think I&#39;m lactose intolerant because I&#39;ve never had any really obvious problem from dairy (unless that&#39;s where my acne came from). Does this mean that dairy is fine for me to eat?

Thanks for helping again everybody! And I&#39;m sorry if anybody&#39;s noticed an annoying amount of questions from me...

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Mostly it appears to be a question of how long the human race has been consuming them. The longer we&#39;ve been eating a food, the more time we&#39;ve had to adapt to it. On the scale of history, we just started eating grains and dairy yesterday. I&#39;m sure others will chime in with more specifics. People with different genetic backgrounds react differently, too -- just remember that a food may cause you problems which aren&#39;t "obvious" or don&#39;t seem related.

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James, check out this link:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-grains/

Basically, grains don&#39;t favor optimal health. When a friend converted me, I was (of course) certain that grains were necessary for a healthful diet. While he, all non-chalant, simply asked, why? That&#39;s it, there is no reason why. Personally, I&#39;d rather feast on a piece of steak than a slice of bread anyway. So put it into context. I&#39;d reccomend telling him exactly what sort of meals you prepare for yourself, because the typical American is usually stumped to think of a hearty dinner without a rich source of carbs. I bet you he&#39;ll like what you&#39;re having much better.

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But whole grains (especially wheat) have bad stuff in them besides being high carb.

What kind of bad stuff?

Mainly:

Anti-nutrients: such as phytic acid which blocks absorption of nutrients, which can be bad for your health long term.

Lectins: such as "gluten" which can strip your intestinal lining and lead to tiny rips in your gut that can let bacteria and other lectins into your bloodstream. (This can cause all sorts of negative health issues such as autoimmune diseases, insulin resistance, hormone issues, etc.)

We aren&#39;t designed to eat whole grains (especially wheat) and as soon as we started, the fossil records show that we lost a few inches in height, got weaker bones, more cavities, extra health issues, etc.

Probably due to the fact that they block nutrient absorption, and can compromise your digestive system, and let bad stuff into your bloodstream.

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Now, to play the devil&#39;s advocate, I&#39;m going to say this:

1. Blocking of nutrients certainly can be a problem when all of your diet is crapola. Like most of Europe for most of the year in the old days. But if one is eating fruits, vegetables, meat, fats, and supplements, I don&#39;t see the anti-nutrient issue as big.

2. The lectin issue - did you see my very recent thread on lectin questions? - appears to me to be one of those, Your Mileage May Vary. Yes, all those bad things "can" and "may" happen.....to some people sometimes, somewhere. If you want to avoid the possibility of finding out that you aren&#39;t one of those immune people, don&#39;t eat wheat! (Or other grains, of course.) But if I eat a couple of ounces a week of "bad things," you know what? I&#39;m not going to regret it. It&#39;s not only WHAT, it&#39;s HOW MUCH.